21 Day Dare: Day 8- Dare to see your difficulty as an OPPORTUNITY

I am always moved by the words from Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed meto bring good news to the poor;[a] he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;[b]2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

These same words were spoken by Jesus in Luke 4 as if He were revealing His mission statement to us all. After speaking the Words of Isaiah,

20 He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

The Spirit would be upon Jesus, and the Spirit would empower Him to change the atmosphere just as described in Isaiah.

Good news for the poor.Freedom for captives.Comfort for the mourning.Beauty for ashes.Joy for mourning.Praise instead of despair.

Jesus came with a mission to set us free from whatever bound us. He came to give us life in full (John 10:10). According to the prophecy of Isaiah, Jesus would take away darkness and release freedom, joy, beauty, praise and comfort.

Do you feel like you are missing what Jesus offered? Have you been in a pit of darkness? Have you felt like a captive? Have you been clinging to ashes? Has grief overtaken you? Have you lost your joy?

One of my favorite teachers says that instead of feeling defeated when we find ourselves in a place that we can't understand, ask God this question:

What do you want to be for me now that you couldn't be for me before?

Instead of getting swallowed whole by a pit of despair, shift your mindset believing that His desire is to see you get VICTORY in this very place that makes you feel defeated. It was His mission remember?

Could it be that your current circumstances are simply God's way of revealing to you who He wants to be in Your life in this moment?

Instead of looking at what you are facing as a difficulty, see it as an opportunity for God to reveal Himself to you in a new way.

He will bring beauty from what may feel like ashes, because now you know Him in a way you have never known Him before. With a failing heart, I met the Healer.

This thought reminds me of a family dear to the heart of Jesus: Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus. Jesus receives word that Lazarus is sick and dying. Moved with compassion, He goes to His friend but is delayed on the way to their home. When He finally arrives at their home, the sisters are grieving and Lazarus is said to be dead. If Jesus would have shown up earlier, He could have healed their brother. You can imagine how disheartened they were at the timing of Jesus. They had seen Jesus perform miracles and they knew He would heal Lazarus. How had He missed their need? In this moment of great pain, they would see Him in a completely new light. They would no longer call Him just a healer, because now He would be the resurrector.

How will you know Him more by what you are currently facing?

When we begin believing that challenges can be opportunities for God to move in our lives, that faith activates His movement!